


Grace of the Fire and the Flame

by tomfoolery14



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: BAMF Magnus Bane, Boys In Love, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-23 05:46:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13183611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomfoolery14/pseuds/tomfoolery14
Summary: Unable to sleep the night before, plagued with the dreams he often had on bad nights, he had gone for a walk around the city. The city that was under his protection, and the downworlders in it his children. How could he look the other way when he came across rogue Circle members working in chaotic tandem with demons they had summoned?orMagnus saves the world, but sometimes he needs someone to be there for him too.





	Grace of the Fire and the Flame

**Author's Note:**

> this idea got started after i listened to the song believer by imagine dragons, and the title is from it as well, so give it a listen if you like!

From where Magnus stood on the roof of the loft, bathed in the pale pink light of the rising sun, he watched the still sleeping city. The air was just starting to become warm, as the light became brighter. The beams that made his skin tingle were a familiar shade—the color of his magic when it flared with anger. The color of the flames of his own creation when he burned buildings to the ground. The color of the blood that was spattered on his clothes and skin.

Unable to sleep the night before, plagued with the dreams he often had on bad nights, he had gone for a walk around the city. The city that was under his protection, and the downworlders in it his children. How could he look the other way when he came across rogue Circle members working in chaotic tandem with demons they had summoned?

It had been quite some time since he’d allowed himself to be enveloped by the rush of magic in his veins. He kept it so carefully in check most days, and the few occasions when he didn’t, he was prepared ahead of time for it. But that night, it had crackled like electricity against his bones, charged his skin with sparks that became flames of raw, pure power. He’d torn them apart, and it was easier than swatting a fly. Some of the demons fled in fear—the son of one of the most ancient and powerful demons was easy to spot for creatures that dwelt in the darkness. Others dissipated like dust when Magnus turned on them too.

And when his work was finished, too weakened to bring a portal from his hands, he had picked his way through the debris of the fight and made his way home, fingers flexing at his sides. He was too tired to clean himself off; too tired to cover his blood and ichor stained clothes—too tired to ask for help. Or possibly too stubborn.

He hadn’t wanted to wake Alec upon his return; couldn’t bear the thought after the difficulty Alec had had falling asleep. After tossing and turning restlessly for a few hours, unable to quiet his mind, Magnus had resorted to releasing a gentle pulse of magic to soothe him to sleep.

Opting for the peace of the balcony, Magnus found himself standing silently, watching the sun rise above the skyline. He was only there a few minutes before he was acutely aware of the soft sound of the door opening behind him. His shoulders tensed reflexively. “Did I wake you?” he murmured, eyes on the sky.

“I was waiting for you on the couch and I must have dozed off,” Alec replied instead. “I woke up to an empty bed and was worried.”

“I’m fine, Alexander.” With a measured expression, Magnus turned to face Alec. His whole demeanor softened at the sight of his love sleepily leaning against the doorway with his hair ruffled and soft, wearing a pair of old sweatpants that sagged off his hips a bit.

Alec approached him slowly, one hand outstretched. His thumb rubbed softly at Magnus’ cheek, erasing a trail of blood. “Is this yours?”

“No.” Magnus was quiet for a moment. “I’m going to clean up.”

The ensuite bathroom looked especially clean by comparison as he washed off his bloodied hands in the sink, staining the porcelain pink as pale red rivulets circled the drain. He let the water run from the showerhead for a minute to heat up, peeling off his ruined clothes and dirtied boots.

The scorching heat felt good when he stepped under the spray, and he kneaded at his taut muscles with purposeful, probing fingers. The magic that had welled up inside him had left behind a residue-a faint buzz of energy that hummed beneath his skin and left him feeling unsettled. Even after scrubbing furiously at his skin, nearly rubbing some areas raw, it seemed like there would never be an end to the mess. He longed for his bed, for Alec’s presence, and for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Alec was waiting for him when he emerged from the bathroom, clean clothes laid out on the bed like an offering.

“I’m tired.”

“I know.” Alec’s tone was endlessly understanding and it was almost unbearable for Magnus to have a heart that was simultaneously oversaturated with feeling and aching from a sense of void. He’d been consumed this night by the darkness in the world, and the hand he’d played in it, but now, faced with the brightest light he’d ever known, he couldn’t understand how he had enough space to feel both so greatly. “Just get some rest.”

The touch of Alec’s warm, calloused hands on his shoulders as soon as he stretched out on the bed was grounding. Magic bursting inside him made him feel nebulous, unanchored. Alexander was the tether that brought him back.

Starting with the back of Magnus’ neck, Alec pressed soft, open mouthed kisses along his skin; reverent touches that made Magnus shiver in delight. Lips trailed over his shoulder blades, the top of his spine, and down to his lower back.

Magnus’ eyelids fluttered, golden cat’s eyes glinting in the dark of the room as they watched Alec. His chin rested on his shoulder as he watched the way dark hair fell over Alec’s forehead, the way his jaw flexed when he left a particularly determined kiss on skin ravaged by scars.  He couldn’t remember ever seeing something more beautiful in all the world.

“I love you,” Alec whispered against Magnus’ skin, repeating it as a mantra after each new touch. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

Magnus reached back, carding his fingers through Alec’s tousled hair and was rewarded with the press of Alec’s cheek against his back and his fingers tracing up and down the lines of his ribs. “I love you.”

The dark nights came, and the bad things followed, but there would always be light where his love was found.

**Author's Note:**

> come find me at champagnemagnus.tumblr.com!


End file.
